Sheffield BID marks the completion of the new Sheffield Flood Defences
25th January 2018
Lower Don Valley Flood Defence – Completion Event
An event to mark the completion of the Lower Don Valley Flood Defence project was held on Thursday 25th January. Attended by civic dignitaries, partner organisations and local contributing businesses the morning was an opportunity to thank those involved in the project and spend some time discussing any ongoing considerations as well as the future of the Sheffield BID.
Sheffield Lower Don Valley Business Improvement District is a group of businesses that have formed a collective to contribute a sum in proportion to their business rates into a fund. This adds to the investment of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency to allow a flood defence scheme to be installed all the way from Meadowhall to Sheffield City Centre.
Aizlewood’s Mill is one of the contributors to this scheme, having been flooded in 2007 we felt that by joining together with other businesses along the riverside we would be able to make a valuable contribution. The benefits far outweigh the financial contribution as we are able to look out over an attractive red brick wall with stone toppings, delivered to a high standard by Carillion Construction and its sub-contract partners.
The event was held at the truly stunning Riverside Works, a factory owned by Gripple which is well worth the visit in its own right. We were welcomed by Simon Ogden, Head of City Regeneration at Sheffield City Council, who thanked Gripple for their hospitality and then introduced Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council.
Our next speaker was Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency who talked about Sheffield’s vision of using the Business Improvement District as an example to other cities.
Our final speaker was Richard Wright, Executive Director of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce & Industry who gave us plenty of food for thought about the future of the flood defences.
- Who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the defences?
- Who is responsible for closing the moveable barriers and keeping them safe when not in use?
- Where are those moveable barriers stored?
- Who accepts responsibility if the barriers are not put up in time and the local area floods?
All these questions need answering on a national level as whilst Sheffield has made such arrangements a solution might not be so easy in other regions.
Aizlewood’s Mill has 59 offices to rent as well as small meeting rooms being part of a suite of conference facilities with the Mike Bower Board Room and Executive Conference Room. On the 25th June our lower level offices were flooded but due to the foresight of the Reception team many of the ground floor units were already cleared in preparation and so the impact to us was far less than it would have been had we taken no action. Having the flood defences right outside our door gives us the peace of mind that should a similar event happen we will be completely protected.
